Hang rail support structure

ABSTRACT

A connecting member or adapter which is adapted to be connected to a generally horizontal support member for supporting a hang rail has a generally C-shaped bracket member secured at the forward end thereof with the C opening upward. The C-shaped bracket member is preferably extruded and formed of a synthetic resin that has substantial rigidity but nevertheless has sufficient resilience so that the arms of the member can yield slightly. A hang rail is carried by the C-shaped bracket member, the hang rail comprising a tubular, extruded shape having a protruding rib along its bottom side, there being grooves formed at the juncture of the rib with the body of the hang rail. The body is substantially cylindrical in configuration. In mounting the hang rail, the ends of the arms of the C-shaped bracket member are spread apart to pass over the rib after which they snap into engagement with the grooves and firmly lock the hang rail onto the C-shaped bracket member. The said ends have hooklike enlargements to engage beneath the widest part of the rib in the grooves.

United States Patent 1191 Varon et al.

[ 1 Jan. 8, 1974 HANG RAIL SUPPORT STRUCTURE [73] Assignee: Crown Metal Manufacturing C0,,

Chicago, Ill.

22 Filed: Aug. 30, 1971 21 Appl. No.: 176,224

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 93,091, Nov. 27,

1970, Pat. No. 3,685,662.

[52] US. Cl. 211/105.1, 211/123 [51] Int. Cl. A47f 5/00 [58] Field of Search 2ll/105.l, 7,123,

211/177, 182, 103; 248/74 A, 223, 224, 225, 251, 221, 204; 24/73 PM; 256/59, 65

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,322,288 5/1967 Mayer 211/176 3,664,511 5/1972 Fenwick.. 2l1/105.1

3,681,887 8/1972 Loew 52/718 3,506,294 4/1970 Newman 52/717 3,388,523 6/1968 Evans 52/717 3,389,931 6/1968 St. John.. 256/65 X 3,251,103 5/1966 Saut 52/718 X 3,239,070 3/1966 Clauson 211/105,] 3,258,250 6/1966 McMullin 248/225 3,286,963 11/1966 Bergman 248/74 A 3,540,687 11/1970 Cuva 248/225 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,352,534 5/1964 France 248/223 Primary Examiner-Roy D. Frazier Assistant ExaminerThomas J. Holko Attorney-l. Irving Silverman et al.

[ 1 ABSTRACT A connecting member or adapter which is adapted to be connected to a generally horizontal support member for supporting a hang rail has a generally C-shaped bracket member secured at the forward end thereof with the C opening upward. The C-shaped bracket member is preferably extruded and formed of a synthetic resin that has substantial rigidity but nevertheless has sufficient resilience so that the arms of the member can yield slightly. A hang rail is carried by the C-shaped bracket member, the hang rail comprising a tubular, extruded shape having a protruding rib along its bottom side, there being grooves formed at the juncture of the rib with the body of the hang rail. The body is substantially cylindrical in configuration. ln mounting the hang rail, the ends of the arms of the C- shaped bracket member are spread apart to pass over the rib after which they snap into engagement with the grooves and firmly lock the hang rail onto the C- shaped bracket member. The said ends have hooklike enlargements to engage beneath the widest part of the rib in the grooves.

3 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures PATENTED JAN 8 1974 HANG R'AIL SUPPORT STRUCTURE CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This is a continuation-in-part of a copending application of the applicants entitled Hang Rail Construction and Bracket Therefor, Ser. No. 93,091 filed Nov. 27, 1970 now US. Pat. No. 3,685,662.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to means for supporting hang rails and specifically is directed to a novel support structure for a hang rail of the type having a protruding rib along the bottom thereof.

Hang rails are used principally in retail stores where a large number of garments is to be supported on display. The garments normally are on wire or other hangers of conventional construction and these are to be engaged over a long hang rail, readily slidable along and removable from the rail.

The hang rail is mounted on a member which is called an adapter, this adapter in turn being secured to the front end of ametal support member arranged horizontally. The rear of the metal support member is usually mounted on a standard, such as the common vertically arranged slotted channel member used quite widely.

The copending application teaches the construction of the hang rail which will be described herein and in combination with which the bracket means of the invention is adapted to be used. The bracket means refer to the connection between the adapter and the hang rail.

The bracket means of the invention is a simple, onepiece member of extruded plastic that is secured to the adapter. It provides highly effective means for supporting the hang rail removably locked in place. It is economical and robust.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The bracket means of the invention comprise an elongate C-shaped member which opens upward, nested in the concave cross arm of an adapter. The adapter is to be connected to a horizontal support member. The C-shaped member is secured to the cross arm but leaving the space between the arms of the C- shaped member free. A tubular hang rail is supported by the C-shaped member, the hang rail having an integral rib along its bottom side and a pair of grooves formed between the rib and the body of the hang rail. The distance between grooves is less than the thickness of the rib spaced slightly from the grooves. The C- shaped member is molded, preferably as an extrusion, from a resilient material such as high impact synthetic resinand its arms have hooklike ends to engage in the grooves. The said ends are spread to pass over the rib and then snap into the grooves, removably locking the hang rail to the bracket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a portion of an adapter having the bracket means of the invention secured thereto and illustrating a fragment of a hang rail operatively mounted on the bracket means; and

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken generally along the line 22 of FIG. 1 and in the indicated direction, showing the bracket and adapter in side elevation.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The combined bracket means, adapter and hang rail are illustrated in FIG. 1 and designated generally l0, l2 and 14, respectively. The adapter 12 may have any suitable means for enabling the same to be secured to a horizontal support (not shown) that is connected with a vertical standard (not shown) and hence only the forward portion 16 of the adapter is illustrated. For example, there may be a recess 18 providing a bifurcated cantilever part straddling a cooperating portion of the horizontal support and held in place by fasteners such as screws or pins one of which is indicated at 20. The nose 22 of the adapter has a cross arm 24 which is generally formed as a segment of a cylinder to provide concave cradle or rest 26.

The adapter 12 may be fabricated of separate components or may be an integral die casting of aluminum alloy or other suitable metal.

The hang rail 14 is identical to that disclosed in the copending application. It is an extruded aluminum alloy tube having a cylindrical body portion 28 and provided with a protruding rib formation 30 along the bottom thereof and integral therewith. The rib formation 30, or rib as it will be called, has tapered side walls 32 and a flattened bottom end 34. At the junction of the rib 30 with the main body portion 28, there are outwardly opening undercut grooves 36. The widest portion of the rib 30 occurs at the points 38 just radially outward of the grooves 36 and by virtue of which the grooves are considered to be undercut.

The bracket means 10 comprise a C-shaped member of uniform cross section along its length and hence easily formed as an extrusion. The member has a central body portion 40 and upwardly directed curved arms 42 each of which terminates in an enlargement 44 directed one toward the other. The enlargements 44 may be referred to as hooklike formations since they have the function of hooking into the grooves 36. The bottom surface 46 of the central body portion 40 is generally arcuate forming a segment of a cylinder matingly to engage the concave cradle 26 formed on the cross arm 24 of the adapter 12.

The C-shaped bracket member 10 is secured to the cross arm 24 by suitable fastening means such as headed rivets one of which is shown at 48, passing through suitable holes drilled in the parts 10 and 12 laterally of the nose 22. The inner swaged end 50 of each rivet 48 is preferably countersunk below the upper surface 52 of the body portion 40 of the bracket member 10 so as not to interfere with the hang rail 14 which preferably is supported by the body portion 40 engaging the flattened bottom end 34.

In use, the hang rail 14 is installed by forcing the rib 30 between the arms 42 causing the arms to spread due to the wedging action of the tapered side walls 32 acting on the hooklike formations 44. In the process of this forcing action, the formations 44 ride up the tapered side walls 32, pass over the points 38 and snap into the grooves 36, tightly locking the hang rail 14 in place. This locking engagement, while quite secure, is nonetheless one which enables the hang rail to be removed if desired by reversing the procedure described. An alternate way of installing the hang rail 14 is to turn the rail somewhat on its axis, hooking one of the formations 44 into one of the grooves 36, followed by rotating the rail 14 in the opposite direction about the hooked-in engagement, forcing the rib 30 into position within the bight between the arms 42 until the opposite formation 44 passes over the opposite point 38 into the opposite groove 36. The rail may be disassembled from the bracket member 40 by the reverse procedure, twisting it until one formation is forced out of its groove, etc.

The C-shaped bracket member is required to be of sufficient rigidity to support the hang rail 14 and the garments which will be hung from the rail and in addition must have sufficient resilience to enable the flexing of the arms 42 and their snapping into position with their end formations engaged in the grooves 36 without permanently yielding or breaking. For economy, this member 10 is best extruded in lengths and then cut to size to fit the adapter to which it will be secured. While some metals may meet these requirements, it is preferred that the member 10 be fabricated of high impact strength, synthetic resin of the thermoplastic type. The resin should have high resistance to cold flow and be chemically resistant and dimensionally stable over a wide range of temperatures. Several suitable resins are ABS (acrilonitrile butadiene styrene), cellulose butyrate, high impact styrene, high impact rigid vinyl, etc. Some commercial plastics suitable are Cycolac-LL (Morbon Chemical Division of the Borg Warner Corporation) and Tenite ll (Eastman Chemical Division of supporting plural articles such as clothing and the like, said assembly comprising an adapter member to be mounted on a horizontal support, said adapter having a forward portion and a nose portion at one end, a cross arm formed on the nose portion, said cross arm having an upwardly concaved cradle formed thereon, a C- shaped bracket member having an arcurate bottom surface mating with and secured to said cradle, said bracket having a body portion and arms extending from said body portion, at least one of said arms being resilient, said arms opening upwardly, said assembly further comprising a rigid, tubular hang rail formed with a cylindrical body portion, a bottom centrally disposed protruding rigid rib formed on said body portion to extend downwardly therefrom, undercut grooves formed at the junction of said protruding rib and said hang rail body portion, said rib having a wide section spaced from the grooves, said wide section having a thickness greater than the distance between the ends of said arms on said bracket member, said arms having inwardly directed formations on the ends thereof to be yieldably and frictionally received in said grooves, said rigid rib adapted to be forced into the bracket member between the arms thereof to enable at least said one arm which is resilient to flex as the end formations are passed over said wide section, said end formations being snapped into said grooves to releasably lock said tubular hang rail to said bracket member, said hang rail having a tapered section radially outward of said wide section to facilitate forcing the rib between said arms and said bracket member being formed of high impact strength, synthetic resin having sufficient resilience to permit flexing of at least said one arm which is resilient without permanent setting or breakage.

2. The combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the formations are hooklike.

3. The combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the bracket member is an extrusion of uniform cross section along its length. 

1. In a combined hang rail and adapter assembly for supporting plural articles such as clothing and the like, said assembly comprising an adapter member to be mounted on a horizontal support, said adapter having a forward portion and a nose portion at one end, a cross arm formed on the nose portion, said cross arm having an upwardly concaved cradle formed thereon, a C-shaped bracket member having an arcurate bottom surface mating with and secured to said cradle, said bracket having a body portion and arms extending from said body portion, at least one of said arms being resilient, said arms opening upwardly, said assembly further comprising a rigid, tubular hang rail formed with a cylindrical body portion, a bottom centrally disposed protruding rigid rib formed on said body portion to extend downwardly therefrom, undercut grooves formed at the junction of said protruding rib and said hang rail body portion, said rib having a wide section spaced from the grooves, said wide section having a thickness greater than the distance between the ends of said arms on said bracket member, said arms having inwardly directed formations on the ends thereof to be yieldably and frictionally received in said grooves, said rigid rib adapted to be forced into the bracket member between the arms thereof to enable at least said one arm which is resilient to flex as the end formations are passed over said wide section, said end formations being snapped into said grooves to releasably lock said tubular hang rail to said bracket member, said hang rail having a taperEd section radially outward of said wide section to facilitate forcing the rib between said arms and said bracket member being formed of high impact strength, synthetic resin having sufficient resilience to permit flexing of at least said one arm which is resilient without permanent setting or breakage.
 2. The combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the formations are hooklike.
 3. The combination as claimed in claim 1 in which the bracket member is an extrusion of uniform cross section along its length. 